The present invention relates generally to a solid-state still image recording apparatus for picking up and recording still images, which apparatus is also capable of recording audio signals. More specifically, the invention relates to control of the solid-state still image recording apparatus with audio recording feature, for controlling recording of still images and of audio signals at a given timing.
Recently, electronic or solid-state cameras for picking up still images have been developed and put into the market. Such electronic cameras employ magnetic media or the like as a replacement for photographic film in recording still images. Hereafter, the word "video recording" will be used to represent picking-up and recording still images on magnetic or equivalent recording media.
In order to make such solid-state still camera more attractive, it has been proposed to add audio recording features to the camera. In such cameras, it is possible to record audio sound related to the video recording, which is hereafter referred to as "audio recording", for a given period of time, e.g. 10 sec. Specifically, such cameras allow audio recording at a certain timing relative to the timing of video recording. The ability to record not only still images but also audio sound, such as voice, would make these cameras more attractive.
However, in cameras with both video and audio recording capability, it is difficult to properly set audio recording timing relative to video recording timing. This is inconvenient to the user since on different occasions, the user may want to perform video recording and audio recording at different times. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide some flexibility in selecting the timing relationship between video recording and audio recording so that the user can use this type of camera more conveniently.
On the other hand, the camera can be equipped with a self-timing feature for performing video recording and audio recording in a manner similar to that of conventional film-type cameras. In this case, the timing relationship between video recording and audio recording becomes more critical. As is well known, such self-timers are generally used when the user of the camera wants to take his or her own picture. In such case, the user has to run to a predetermined position toward which the camera is directed after setting the self-timer. If the audio recording timing is set to start recording in response to onset of the self-timer, the user's voice will not be recorded until the user has run into the directional reception range of a microphone built into in the camera. On the other hand, if the audio recording timing is set for a certain delay after onset of the self-timer, the above problem is avoided, but the selection of an appropriate delay time is very difficult, since the timing would be different for each individual user.